pledging to fight it to the end. but in the meantime the city of richmond proceeds about its daily business in the shadow of that more than 100-year-old refinery that has caused them so much trouble and heartache over the years and over this past year specifically. this is a very unhappy marriage. we shall see how it ends. good tuesday morning. right now on "first look," the distraction in action. a-rod hits the field for if the first time to the fans letting him know what they think. a deadly shooting kills three people. al qaeda threat, interaccepted communications of a plan to do something big. plus is president obama ready to rid the nation of fanny and freddie. oprah is striking. and surprising new stats on pot smokers. plus the biggest party schools in america. we begin with breaking news out of yemen. the u.s. state department is urging all u.s. citizens there

to leave immediately due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks. it also ordered not emergency government staff to leave as well. the security area, the threat there is considered extremely high and tensions are already elevate elevated with 19 u.s. embassies closed through saturday. sources tell nbc news intercepted communications prommed those closures. sources say two of al qaeda's top leaders, quote, wanted to do something big this past sunday during ramadan. those leaders are said to be al qaeda's chief and his deputy in yemen. communication did not reveal a specific target or method and sources say the most likely targeted country was thought to be yemen. developing overnight, a shooting in pennsylvania leaves three people dead and cull nats with two people tackling the gun. man and shooting him with his own gun. three people including the

gunman were injured. this happened last night at the regular monthly meeting of ross township supervisors. that's when a 59-year-old fired into the windows and then went inside and investigators think they have a possible motive. >> he's had an ongoing dispute with town officials. something about the condemnation of his property and issues related to his store. i was told there was nothing about his property on the agenda tonight. >> police confirmed that a township official is among the dead. another victim is in surgery. the gunman is in police custody. so if you are flying this morning, you better call your carrier. the global online reservation system called sabre had a computer glitch that's causing flight delays nationwide. airlines were affected but it is now back online. to a story a lot of people

are talking about. alex rodriguez may have avoided a lifetime ban, but the mlb's suspension has put the player's future in jeopardy. major league baseball suspended 13 players linked to the performance enhancing drug investigation. the league made an example. out of a-rod sidelining him until the 2015 season. rodriguez's ban is to take effect on august 8th, but he'll appeal the suspension which will allow him to play until a ruling takes place. so white sox fans greeted a-rod with relentless boos and in a news conference before the game, both rodriguez and the yankees manager made it clear that a-rod will stay on the roster while he fights for his baseball life. >> i have had two hip surgeries, two knee surgeries, i'm fight

ing for my life. i have to defend myself. if i don't defend myself, no one else will. there's a process. i'm happy to process in due time. hopefully whatever happens happens, happens. >> let's get more on the suspensions. i'm joined by a sports writer for think progress. good morning, travis. thanks for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> people have criticized the policy as being ineffective. does the decision show the league is ready to fight performance en hahancing drug u? >> i think it's kbi indicated, but i would say by trying to make an example out of alex rodriguez, it's almost more of a perception bat thal we don't know how long he's been using drugs. the evidence that major league baseball said they have is reportedly that he was using all

through 2009 through 2012. in that time, he never failed a test. if he's using drugs and never failed a test, that would seem to be problematic under their current policies. i would like to see them sit down and figure out how to go forward with strengthening those policies. i don't know if that means strengthening tests, but figures out how they can reduce drug use in the game and do better monitoring of the players. >> it sounds like you believe that they are unfairly targeting a-rod here. they suspended him four times longer than the other 12 players. why do you think that is? >> why do i think it's unfair or why are they going after him harder? >> both. why do you think alex rodriguez, how are they able to get him? >> that's the question. under the joint drug agreement, there's an outline process for

how long you're supposed to be suspended. they have gone -- technically alex rodriguez without failing a test is a first offender. they are arguing because he obscured evidence and other things that he's worse than that and they are justifying it in part with the collective bargaining agreement, which is above and beyond how this process is supposed to work. i think that's a questionable strategy. i was glad to see that they are letting him play through his appeal. that's an unpopular decision with a lot of fans and a lot of former players, but it's the due process he's supposed to be afforded under the joint drug agreement. but i do think as michael weiner from the players association said yesterday, it's sort of odd where they get the justification for 211 games and how they figured that out. >> we are out of time and we are going to have to wait and see how this plays out, as you mentioned. an appeal is underway.

in the meantime, he will continue to play. thank you for your time this morning. e we appreciate it. as he begins his appeal, anthony weiner continues appealing to new york city voters. but it's proving not to be so easy. one voter confronted him and really gave him an earful. >> get. someone to handle your [ bleep ]. you are disgusting. >> you have had your say. you think you have a right to dominate the conversation because you're not voting for me. big deal. >> weiner slug ged it it off an today he's planning to get right back out on the campaign trail. president obama is heading to phoenix today to highlight one of the country's most remarkable housing recoveries. tracie potts joins us live from washington with a preview. what about these new proposals do we expect to hear from the president? >> we expect him to talk about saving money.

the real focus is going to be the middle class. and part of that is going to be restructuring how we do mortgages, trying to prevent the collapse of a freddie mac and fannie mae that we saw over the last several years and putting a lot more private money behind mortgages. he's also going to talk about the white house says saving $3,000 per family by making it easier to get mortgages and easier to refinance. for example, wiping out closing costs. if you re-fi to a lower term. what's significant here is where he's saying it. going back to arizona where he first addressed this issue four years ago. >> thank you. and now here is your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. here's something you don't hear every day. a politician being open about their future plans. wendy davis did that monday while addressing the national press club. >> i can say with absolute

certainty that i will run for two offices. either the state senate seat or the governor. rick perry had another oops moment while speaking in new orleans. he said he was happy to be back in florida. you mean louisiana. . to know who are the hottest politicians in the country? the ranking may surprise you. chris christie tops the list followed by hillary clinton. the it measures voters' attitudes. president obama comes in fourth. baseball's steroid scandal made it its all the way to the white house. some former players of the negro league visited on monday and called players like a-rod cheaters adding they don't belong in the hall of fame. >> you don't have the natural ability. and so why should you be beside

guys like babe ruth? >> voters in detroit head to the polls today to whittle down the little of mayoral candidates. they caution ruls may not be known for weeks because of several write-in campaigns. chelsea clinton is leaving the door open for future political ambitions. while working for the clinton foundation in africa, she said following her parent's footsteps is still an option for her. >> i hear my grandmother's voice in my head every day. life is not what happens to you but what you do with what happens to you. i led a private life for a long time. and i'm atemed to leading a purposely public life. and mark zuckerberg is calling for immigration reform. students will be tomorrow's s p entrepreneurs. a water park in texas has found a really inventive way to keep their patrons cool.

look at that. they created an ice dump where staff dumped a full ton, 2,000 pounds of ice on to swimmer. >> they are chanting "we want ice reques ice." >> let's take a look. the problems out there this morning is in missouri. we have flash flooding that's in mostly rural sections of missouri. on i-44, a big interstate through the state, we have who r -- horrendous flooding going on. we're going to see humidity increasing on the east coast. e we already have showers and storms around baltimore and washington, d.c., this morning. the humidity is up on the east

coast. it's been a nice break, but now the heat is going to return. >> lovely. a shocking new statistic on drinking and walking. and will the amazon entrepreneur change face of journalism? ♪ (tires screeching) red hot deal days are back. (alarm beeping) stop for no one. what? it's red hot deal days. get $100 off the samsung galaxy note ii with features like pop-up play. lets you use any app while watching video. or use the s pen for hand-written notes.

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this morning, after the fort hood shooing the trial of nadal hassan is set to begin. many of the wounded taking the witness stand will have to go face to face with hasan as he has opted to face himself. closing arguments in a a while trooil on monday. the two-month trial was full of outbursts. a new poll shows marijuana use among young people has declined. use among older adults continue to climb. and we all know drinking and

driving can be deadly. but a new study shows drinking and walking can be just as fatal. the national highway safe ta traffic administration says a third of pedestrians killed has blood alcohol levels over the legal limit. and the september issue of "o" magazine shows a striking image of oprah winfrey. she dawned a 3-pound wig. now we turn to a look at new business news. jeff bezos is buying "the washington post" for $250 million. bezos says this is a personal acquisition and the post will remain separate from amazon.

he tells readers he's going to strive to protect the journalistic tradition. gm is knocking $5,000 off the chevy volt. they have been forced to cut prices to move them off the floor. as stable gas prices have tamped down sales. and christy's has been hired to appraise the art collection in detroit. they will explore various options such as leezing works to other museums to avoid an outright sale. >> they need the money for sure. straight ahead, a look at the top stories. ou can give youf a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. ♪ honey, we need to talk. we do? i took the trash out.

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chewy, oatie, gooeyness... and fraudulence. i'm in deep, babe. you certainly are. [ male announcer ] fiber one. it's time for your first look at politics. good morning, thanks for being with us. the president is add reddy to hit the road. there's word he's going to try to eliminate fannie and freddie. what kind of effect is that going to have on homeowners? >> what that will do is will eliminate the government backing to a degree for homeowners. it will eliminate the guarantee that stands behind a homeowner saying i have the government behind me in case i default. it will make sure that the private loans are wiped out first before government guarantee is kicked in. it's an interesting proposal. it will be interesting if the president is able to work with congress to get this through and get this done.

there's a lot of proposals that have been made, but it leaves them on the floor. or he's unable to get congress to bring it to life. you have to make it happen. >> on the whole, could it boost the economy in any way? >> it will not move the needle too much. he's going to phoenix to announce this. that's where the crisis started. in phoenix they have rebounded very well and better than most places. as part of a package, it will be an important piece. >> chelsea clinton is talked about moving the needle in the political realm. she's in africa dealing with the clinton foundation, but she left the door open to following in her parent's footsteps. >> i think the clinton to focus on is hillary clinton. but chelsea will be a formidable player. we had the bushes. the history of children of presidents becoming presidents and children becoming very

active in politics. so there's a lot of politics in america. >> you think we're going to see her step up if her mom so chooses to run? we have been talking about that a lot. you think she'll be a part of that? she gave speeches the last time around. >> she will. and i think that will be more of a testing ground to see how well she does. how prepared she is to be out there. you could see her engaged in more debates with the public or answer some questions to those at campaign events. if she does well, there's a future for her. bill clinton was a popular president and hillary clinton is one of the most popular politicians we have. the door is open for chelsea, no doubt about it it. >> we still have to get to 2016. we're already talking about chelsea clinton. >> we have to get through midterms. >> thank you. speaking of getting through this morning, bill karins will be here for first buzz and tell you what caught our eyes today. ♪

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alex rodriguez has been suspended from baseball for 211 ga games but he said he's going to appeal the decision and keep playing. even anthony weiner was like, man, some people don't know when to quit. >> that's rough. first up, a lot of people discuss i discussing this jeff bezos purchase of "the washington post." at first i thought it was a little light for the "washington post." >> that's not even powerball money. >> "the boston globe" went for

over a billion dollars now being sold for tens of millions of dollars. >> the state of journalism is on the decline? interesting enough, one of "the post" staffers posted on twitter. said that back in 2012 bezos of all people said that newspapers would essentially be gone in 20 years. and actually his exact quote was "there's one thing i'm certain about. there won't be printed newspapers in 20 years. maybe as a luxury item in some hotels that want to offer them as an extravagant service." yet he bought it it. >> it doesn't seem that people want to pay for that content online. >> he's an entrepreneur with a lot of successful businesses. when he buys this, he's not only buying the "washington post." you have a sad story. >> this is the worst story.

comes from new brunswick, canada. a pet store, this python climbed the apartment above, fell through the ceiling and somehow strangled and suffocated two young boys. a 5 and 7-year-old were found along with the snake. the it was during the night and they went in the morning and thought the boys were asleep and they had parished. >> they had gone up there and spent time there before. it was not the first time the kids were at the pet store with this family. >> they lived above it. it's the craziest story. a lot of questions are being asked. >> we're going to lighten things up. give us good news today. >> princeton comes out with the top party schools. they are here. i want to talk about them. >> i would have guessed it. >> the university of iowa, number one. university of california at

santa barbara. comes in at number 15 is texas. you made it it through. >> thanks for watching. this is "first look" right here on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. alex rodriguez -- >> diving, can't make the play.n any of this situation. >> who knows how a bizarre beginning to a-rod's so-called

return to baseball. his words, his performance last night and what's next in his intention. >> another major sale in the world we call old media. one of the icons of the tech era taking over "the washington post." and you might want to know that not just working at airports anymore. get that laptop out. get the stinky shoes off and get up for "way too early." good morning. brian shactman here. we have a story about the relationship between twitter and tv watching. put it this way. i need a few more followers here if we're going to get this thing right. we begin with a pretty disturbing story out of pennsylvania. a man is in custody this morning accused of